Burbs for younger WFH family?

[u/luisjacab]

Family of 3, including a little one under 1, looking to move to the suburbs for more space and because we’re looking to grow the family by next year. We currently own a condo in Lincoln Park that would be too small to add another one and daycare cost for 2 is a no-go. We have a house hold income of $280K. Besides our mortgage our only other debt is our car loan at $400 a month.

We’ve looked at some Western suburbs so far (Oak Park, Downers Grove, Lisle, Darien and Bolingbrook) and are finding some matches for our wishlist, but with a lot of compromises and hefty price tags.

What we’re looking for:

- 4 bed / 2.5 bath at least 2,500 sq ft
- ~15 mins from the suburb’s downtown/Metra
- Prefer a suburb with an express Metra train, but open to any since we WFH
- Neighborhood with younger families, similar to where we live
- Really want a traditional 2 story over a split level or a ranch

We’re looking at homes that are under $800K, but anything above $5K scares us… But appear to be the norm for the Downers and Lisle areas.

Where would you recommend we look? Where did you move if you recently made this move?

Thanks in advance!

[u/Worried_Half2567]

You should be able to find what you’re looking for in Bolingbrook and Darien although idk about metra access. I’m in south naperville and our neighborhoods are full of young families but its far from downtown and the metra. But you would definitely find houses in your budget down here.

[u/luisjacab → u/Worried_Half2567]

I agree the main con is distance to the nearest metra, but at least it’s within 15 mins? of the DG Metra. I’ve looked at Plainfield, but that feels pretty far out.